Heel for boots or shoes



(Ne Model.)

0. K. PEVEY. HEEL FOR BOOTS 0R SHOES.

No. 583,814. Patented June 1,1897.

m a a a? 5 UNITED STATES PATENT union,

CHARLES KIMBLE PEVEY, OF IVOROESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

HEEL FOR BOOTS OR SHOES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 583,814, dated June 1,1897.

Application filed August 1 7,1892. Serial No. 443,345. (No model.)

To all whom if; may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES KIMBLE PEVEY, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at WVorcester, in the county of Worcester and State ofMassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inHeels for Boots or Shoes; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

My invention relates to improvements in heels for boots and shoes; andthe object of the invention is to provide a durable flexible heel whichcan be readily attached to the sole of any shoe and which will take upall of the jar commonly experienced when walking on hard pavements withshoes provided with heels of ordinary construction.

With these ends in view my invention consists of a heel formed of two ormore layers of soft rubber and vulcanite, which are firmly securedtogether and provided with means for attachment to the sole of a boot orshoe.

My invention further consists in the peculiar construction andarrangement of parts, as will be more fully pointed out and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a heelconstructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinalvertical sectional view through a portion of a shoe sole and a heel, andFig. 3 is a similar View of a slightly-modified construction. I

Like letters of reference denote corresponding parts in the severalfigures of the drawings, referring to which A designates a heel, whichmay be of any desired form and size, composed of a lower layer orsection a, of soft rubber, and another layer or section b, of vulcanite,said layers being firmly united together by vulcanization, and the layerof vulcanite Z) being provided with means for securing the heel 011 thesole 0 of a shoe or boot,

My improved flexible heel is formed in the following manner: Alayer ofrubber or caoutchouc is placed in a suitable mold, and 011 this firstlayer is placed a second layer of different grade of rubber. The twolayers are composed of different grades of rubber, so

that when the mold is heated and the material therein subjected tovulcanization the lower layer will be converted into what is technicallyknown as soft rubber, while the upper layer will be converted intovulcanite. The two layers are firmly united together during thevulcanization process.

To provide for attaching or securing the heel, when formed, on the soleof a boot or shoe, I place in the second layer in the mold,

while such layer is in a plastic or semiplastic state, a series ofbrads, nails, staples, or similar devices (I, and, when by thevulcanizing process, said layer is converted into vulcanite theattaching-brads d are held firmly in place with their upper endsprojecting some distance above the heel.

To attach the heel A to the sole of a boot or shoe, I preferably placeover the upper surface thereof a transfer-sheet of paper or othersuitable material of the desired size and press said sheet down over thebrads d, in order that it may be punctured thereby. The transfer-sheetis then removed from the heel A and placed against the sole 6 of theboot or shoe, and apertures or punctures corresponding to theperforations in the transfer-sheet are formed in said sole by an awl orother suitable implement. The transfersheet is then removed and the heelplaced against the sole 6, the nails or brads (Z thereon alining withand extending through the apertures or perforations in the sole, and theupper ends of the nails or brads are bent down or clenched on the soleto hold the heel firmly in place thereon.

Owing to the flexible nature of my improved heel it is of courseimpossible to secure the same on the sole e by the ordinary method ofdriving or hammering the bottom thereof to force the attaching-nailsthrough the sole.

It will be seen that I have provided a simple, durable, and flexibleheel which can be easily secured on soles of boots and shoes of ordinaryconstruction.

My improved heel, while being flexible and operating to take up all thejar commonly ex perienced when walking on hard pavements, is strongenough not to crush down by weight placed thereon, the vulcanitelayer 1) giving strength and stability to the heel equal to that of aheel of ordinary construction and also serving to hold theattaching-brads securely in place.

The lower surface of the vulcanite layer 1) is curved or irregular inorder that there will not be a sharp regular line between the layers a band that there will be no danger of the hard layer 1) cutting into andweakening the layer of soft rubber.

In some cases I place above the vulcanite layer 1) another layer 0 ofsoft rubber similar to the layer a, all of the layers being firmlyunited by vulcanization, as hereinbefore described. This construction,which is illustrated in Fig. 3, enables the heel to adjust itselfreadily to any irregularities or rough places that may be on the underside or surface of the sole of the boot or shoe.

Comminuted particles of emery or other suitable material may be placedin the lower layer a, when it is placed in the mold, to make the lowersurface of the heel rough and prevent the person using thesame fromslipping when walkin g on ice or slippery pavements.

The advantages of my improvement will be readily understood andappreciated.

I am aware that changes in the form and proportion of parts and detailsof construction of the devices herein shown and described as anembodiment of any invention can be made without departing from thespirit or sacrificing the advantages thereof, and I therefore reservethe right to make such changes and alterations as fairly fall within thescope of the same. For instance, I may employ screws instead of thenails herein shown and described for attaching the heel to the boot orshoe.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

As an article of manufacture, a heel composed of two layers of softrubber and a layer of vulcanite arranged between the layers of softrubber and permanently united thereto, said vulcanite layer beingprovidedwith a series of brads or nails which extend upwardly throughthe upper layer-of soft rubber, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES KIMBLE PE'VEY.

IVitnesses:

CHARLES S. Doncn', J OHN A. DANA.

